Asking Myself the Tough Questions.

Every man dies, but most men do not live a life and have a cause worth dying for. Today I stand searching for a group of men who desire to live a life and to leave a legacy that has eternal meaning. Yes, as we live our lives, there are times were we are tired, weary, and thirsty – but we are not defeated – That is because in our covenant to follow Christ we will be victorious. We are willing to fight to be shining lights in the midst of the darkness. We are willing to lay down our lives for true freedom – true peace. We want to fill our thirsty souls with the love of God and God-obsession rather than sinful addictions and self-obsession. We know we are in a viscous battle against evil. But when we fail and get knocked down – we will get back up again and follow the Christ. For us, there is no plan B.

Every being has a purpose or mission. Even Satan has a purpose: “The thief’s purpose is to kill and steal and destroy.” (John 10:10) So what is God’s purpose/mission statement? “All things happen for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) What is God’s purpose stated in the very next verse? “God chose us to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the first born with many brothers.” (Rom. 8:29) God is in the process of transforming our hearts so that we become more like Christ – yes even brothers of Christ – sharing the same Father. Wow – What an identity! What a heritage! What a legacy!

It was a cold October night. My 13 year old son, Caleb, was being ushered into his young manhood by his 2 Grandfathers, his uncle, a dear friend of the family and me, his father...It was time, time to speak to my son with insperation, yet sincerity. He was leaving his childhood and ready to recieve his commision as a young man. He was sitting directly in front of me as these words were made into reality.

As Your Father, I make this Covenant:

My Hearts desire is to help you live life to its fullest in Christ and to develop the capability of dealing with the challenges and frustrations of daily living. As your father I understand the responsibility of showing you how to be “tough enough” to live in a world that delivers plenty of tough times. At this moment, I am stepping it up, pressing in to ensure that this next leg of your Journey, Young Manhood, will be taught by your father and close, Godly men, who will surround you and give you insight and teach you Manhood.

Understanding Manhood isto be passed on from father to son. This is somethingthat can’t necessarily be taught by your mother, no matter how incredible your mother is, teaching you manhood is my responsibility.

SON: • I will be there for you.

What I mean is I will share in your success and in your failure so we may work through them together. I will share myself, as well as my life’s experiences with you, including my failures– Youneed to know that I have not only have had great successes, but I have failed areas and turned out OK.

My purpose as your father is to 1. Partner with your mother and"play defense" on your behalf—what that means is, your mother and I will work diligently to protect you from immoral and dangerous enticements. But that is not enough. Which brings me to 2. your mother and I will also need to "play offense“. What I mean is, through this next part of you journey I will be training you by instilling in you the importance of a Christ like character. My Mission will be to help you in the transformation you will have from childhood to young manhood. To help you to go from an immature and flighty youngsters into a honest, caring man who will be respectful of women, loyal and faithful in marriage, keeper of commitments, a strong and decisive leader, a good worker, and secure in your masculinity. And of course, the ultimate goal is to give you an understanding of Scripture and a lifelong passion for Jesus Christ. This is, I believe, the most important responsibility for your mother and I,who have been entrusted with the care and nurturance of children.